Saturday, June 25, 2011

Red Velvet Cheesecake





Oh my goodness!! How do I describe it? What words can I use to describe it? Incredible. Delicious. Fantastic. AAAAHHHHMMMAzing!! If you have not tried it then you definitley should. It is one of THE best cheesecakes I have ever had!! We made it for Memorial Day and I sure had my share of it (more than anybody else did). Anyways I got the recipe from RecipeGirl.com and I thought I would share it.


red velvet cheesecake

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 40 min
Cook Time: 1 hr, 25 min
I sampled a piece, and I have committed every single, creamy, decadent bite to my taste memory. I'll tell you with great confidence that I think this cheesecake is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Ingredients:

CRUST:
17 oreo cookies, crushed finely
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon granulated white sugar
CHEESECAKE:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 ounces red food coloring (two 1-ounce bottles)
FROSTING:
3 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
heavy duty foil

Directions:

1. Prepare crust: Stir together Oreo crumbs, melted butter, and 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar; press mixture into bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare water bath: Fill large roasting pan (big enough for springform pan to fit into) with about 1 inch of water. Place in oven and allow to preheat along with the oven.
3. Prepare filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add eggs and remaining cheesecake ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust.
4. Take out two sheets of heavy duty foil and layer them on top of one another. Place springform pan on top of the foil and wrap the foil gently around the pan and up the sides. Make sure that there are no tears or holes and that the foil comes all the way up around all sides of the cake. Carefully place the foil-protected pan into the water bath in the preheated oven.
5. Bake for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300°F. Bake for an additional 75 minutes or until the center is firm. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven for 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven. Carefully remove cheesecake from water bath and place on wire rack. Run a thin knife around the outer edge of the cheesecake. Cool on rack for a couple of hours, until the cheesecake becomes close to room temperature. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours (or overnight). Remove sides of springform pan.
6. Prepare frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. Spread evenly on top of cheesecake. Garnish, if desired.

Tips:

*You may sub 1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs for the crushed oreos.
*You may choose to bake the cheesecake instead with no water bath. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300 and bake for an additional 75 minutes. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven; cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. (Baking without a water bath - you run the risk of cracking the top of the cheesecake).
*Some readers have indicated that there is far too much frosting for this recipe. I personally like a lot of frosting, so you can see a thick layer of frosting in the photograph. If you're not big on frosting, you can leave it off entirely or cut the frosting recipe in half.
Source: RecipeGirl.com (Adapted from Southern Living)

Friday, June 24, 2011

Psalm 86: My favorite passage in Psalms

1Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
 2Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
 3Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
 4Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
 5For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
 6Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.
 7In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
 8Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.
 9All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.
 10For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.
 11Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
 12I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
 13For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
 14O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.
 15But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
 16O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
 17Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

4 1/2 almost 5 months old!!






I can't believe my little lovebug is almost 5 months old!! Where has the time gone?? She is getting so big and so much fun! Her personality is really starting to come out. She is such a happy baby and loves to "talk", make noise, and any sound that will come out of her mouth.

Sadie absolutley loves her bouncer/excersicer. I can put her in it in the mornings, add a few toys and she is perfectley content. It gives me so much joy to listen to her talk to her toys and grab them and give them love (eat them). Speaking of giving love, Sadie loves to give kisses. She will grab your face, open her mouth and make a noise until you put your face close enough so she can kiss you. It is the CUTEST THING!! She loves lying on her back and grabbing her feet. She is so fascinated by them. Tummy time is also becoming fun for her and she is working on getting the muscles to crawl. She will grab anything you put next to her and put it in her mouth. Sadie is definitley teething so she has lots of teethers, frozen washcloths and mommy's and daddy's fingers to chew on. I recently bought her a sippy cup and she loves it!!! I fill it with water and sometimes ice and she will spend at least ten minutes drinking from it, pulling it out of her mouth and drinking from it again. I've also been giving her oatmeal cereal mixed with apples every night and she can't get enough of it. I also bought her this mesh feeding thing where you can stick food in it so the baby can eat the food without having to worry about big pieces coming off and your baby choking. It has become on of my favorite things! So far, Sadie has had watermelon and a piece of a popsicle in it.

 Bath time is becoming a fun time for her as I've moved her bathtub into the actual bathtub so she can splash as much as her little heart desires. Sadie has also started giggling and it is the cutest laugh ever!!! Her smile is also THE BEST SMILE I have ever seen. Bedtime has become an issue as she does not want to go to sleep, nor does she want to stay asleep. I have been putting her down on her tummy to sleep lately and that seems to be helping a little bit. I just can't believe how big she is getting and time DEFINITELY  goes by fast!!

Friday, June 17, 2011

I want my mommy!!!

This is the face I get whenever I pass her off to someone or leave the room. It makes me feel so sad! She is in her mommy stage right now and will not let me out of her sight! Of course that makes me feel great that she wants me and needs me so much :) The only two people that she will go to are Corey (of course) and her Grandma Margaret. I just love this little cutie so much!!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Our Story

I'm a little late posting this but last month on May 1, Corey and I celebrated our one year anniversary. Boy what a year it has been but it was also one of the greatest years of my life! Corey and I had some big moments in our first year of marriage from becoming pregnant, to having our car stolen (twice!) and to giving birth to our daughter, Sadie. I wouldn't have wanted to share any of those moments with anyone else.

I thought I would share our story of how we met, fell in love and got married. Some people know this story but not everyone. I think it's an interesting story and kinda funny. Corey and I first met at the Association Meeting in August 2008. My first impression of him was not the greatest, given that one of the first things he said to me was, "I'm working on my preachers belly", but grant it it is something that I'll always remembered. A bunch of us then headed to the beach later that night and my impression of Corey was still less than stellar. He and Angel Gomez were having an argument over a subject in the bible. Corey would not let the subject go and they argued all night. Corey, on the other hand, noticed me that night and he knew that I was the one for him. He was also ready to put up a fight for me and not give up until he had me. I didn't see Corey again until he came and preached for the Tulare church that December. My sister actually was interested in him so I introduced them. Needless to say, Corey was not interested in her. A few days later Corey messaged me on myspace (yes, good ol myspace). He said that I should give him my number so we could get to know each other. I ignored the message.

A few days later, Corey messaged me on facebook and asked why I was ignoring him. I said I wasn't but he continued to ask me for my number. I gave in and gave it to him but made it clear that I WAS NOT looking for a boyfriend. Corey didn't seem to care about that and we started texting each other all the time (and when I say all the time, I mean ALL THE TIME!!). Our first phone call was on February 7, 2009 when Corey showed up at my house to surprise me. I was doing laundry and he called me up and told me to come outside. I kept saying that I was busy and couldn't but he eventually persuaded me. As I walked outside, he came out from behind the bushes and hugged me. He had brought me shoes that I had asked for and had a whole day planned!. It started with a movie, My Bloody Valentine in 3D, in which I knew he wanted to hold my hand but I kept it away for most of the movie. I eventually let him hold it though. It then proceeded to dinner at Chili's. It ended sitting in the bed of my truck. He had brought his blanket and let me keep it. He had also brought me chocolate and a card. The card had 7 things in it in which Corey had done that day. That is why Corey and I call that day Seven Day. The last thing on the list was asking me to be his Valentine, in which I could seal with a kiss. Yes, Corey got a kiss out of me that night.

The next few months were filled with weekends of 3 hour drives to see each other and boy did those drives get old but it was so fulfilling at the end of the drive. Corey proposed to me on July 19, 2009 in the middle of Bro. Waters sermon. He had wrote out WILL YOU MARRY ME? on my arm with his finger. I didn't think he was serious but I said yes anyway. At lunch that day he said he was serious so of course I said yes!! That following friday, Corey came up and actually proposed to me with the ring. It was beautiful with rose petals everywhere and signs leading me in the right direction and with him getting down on one knee. I was so happy!! The following months was a challenge, trying to plan a wedding living 3 hours away from each other but we made it work. I moved down to Southern California in January 2010 and lived with the Reeds until our wedding. We got married on May 1, 2010 at Mt. Vernon Landmark Missionary Baptist Church. It was beautiful!! We honeymooned in Pismo Beach at the Cottage in by the Sea. On May 28, 2010 we found out that we were pregnant. Yes it was a surprise but we were so happy!!! I gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Sadie Grace Keirns on January 31, 2011. Yes our relationship has been a whirlwind but I wouldn't change anything!! I love being a preachers wife and a mother!!

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